YOON'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS

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In his inaugural address, President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to rebuild the country that belongs to the people based on free democracy and market economy. In the speech, he repeated the words ‘freedom’ and ‘economic growth’ many times and also said democracy is facing a crisis due to what he called anti-intellectualism.

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Speaking at his inauguration ceremony, President Yoon Suk-yeol said the value of freedom must be rediscovered. He said that human history shows that where political and economic freedom reigned supreme, that is when prosperity and abundance flourished. Yoon said that if individual freedom is violated, that is an assault on everyone's freedom. He said that for everyone to become free citizens, fair rules must be observed. Throughout the speech, the president consistently emphasized the value of freedom, mentioning the word 35 times. He also said social polarization and discord were deepening, which must be resolved through ‘rapid growth.’

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(President) : "Rapid growth will open up new opportunities. It will improve social mobility and thereby help root out fundamental obstacles that aggravate social divide and conflict."

Yoon stressed that achieving rapid growth is possible only through science, technology and innovation. He said many countries are facing challenges but the political process which has the responsibility to address these issues is not properly functioning due to a crisis in democracy. Yoon said one of the reasons for such failure is the spread of anti-intellectualism where people choose to see only what they want to see and hear only what they want to hear.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(President) : "Anti-intellectualism, where the masses suppress those who do not agree with them, is putting democracy in peril and undermining our trust in democracy."

On North Korea, Yoon said the door to dialogue remains open for the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue. He promised to present an audacious plan for the North’s economy if the regime genuinely embarks on a process toward denuclearization.